Scottish Executive

Best Value

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what Audit Scotland’s role is in determining whether local authorities are delivering best value and what criteria are used by Audit Scotland.

Angus MacKay: Audit Scotland and the Accounts Commission (on whose behalf it works) have played a central role since 1997 in developing the Best Value framework, in monitoring its implementation and in working closely with relevant inspectorates to secure a joined-up approach to Best Value scrutiny.

  In addition, Audit Scotland collects and assesses a range of statutory performance indicators each year, covering the full range of local authority services. These allow comparative assessment to be made about the impact of Best Value not only within an authority over time but between authorities at any one time.

  In assessing local authority performance, Audit Scotland looks for evidence against the following 10 criteria:

  That members and officers show clear leadership on best value

  That they are responsive to stakeholders

  That they carry our best value reviews

  That they have detailed and realistic plans to achieve their aims

  That they make the best use of their staff

  That they make the best use of their assets

  That they have sound financial control and reporting

  That they actively support continuous improvement

  That they monitor and control overall performance

  That they have an effective approach to public performance reporting.

Dentists

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the ratio of whole-time equivalent general dental practitioners to population is in (a) each health board area and (b) each local authority area.

Susan Deacon: Information on the whole-time equivalent status for general dental practitioners is not collected centrally. The following tables show the ratio of GDPs to population in terms of headcount.

  Number of GDP’s1 and population per GDP2 by Health Board

  Information as at 30 June 20013

  


Health Board 
  

Number of dentists 
  

Population per GDP 
  



Ayrshire & Arran 
  

130 
  

2,872 
  



BORDERs 
  

37 
  

2,889 
  



Argyll & Clyde 
  

173 
  

2,448 
  



Fife 
  

131 
  

2,675 
  



Greater Glasgow 
  

403 
  

2,244 
  



Highland 
  

 80 
  

2,608 
  



Lanarkshire 
  

195 
  

2,882 
  



Grampian 
  

161 
  

3,251 
  



Orkney 
  

8 
  

2,435 
  



Lothian 
  

352 
  

2,226 
  



Tayside 
  

161 
  

2,394 
  



Forth Valley 
  

95 
  

2,926 
  



Western Isles 
  

11 
  

2,471 
  



Dumfries & Galloway 
  

37 
  

3,941 
  



Shetland 
  

8 
  

2,805 
  



Scotland 
  

1,982 
  

2,581 
  



  Notes:

  1. General dental practitioners may work in more than one primary care trust (PCT)/health board. For the purpose of this analysis, general dental practitioners who have a contract with more than one PCT/health board are shown in all relevant areas.

  2. Population figures at mid-year 2000.

  3. Excludes private dentistry.

  Number of GDPs1 and population per GDP2 by Local Authority

  Information as at 30 June 20013

  


Local Authority 
  

Number of dentists 
  

Population per GDP 
  



Aberdeen City 
  

81 
  

2,608 
  



Aberdeenshire 
  

58 
  

3,917 
  



Angus 
  

40 
  

2,730 
  



Argyll & Bute 
  

33 
  

2,691 
  



City of Edinburgh 
  

227 
  

1,997 
  



Clackmannanshire 
  

16 
  

3,029 
  



Comhairle nan Eilean Siar 
  

11 
  

2,471 
  



Dumfries & Galloway 
  

37 
  

3,941 
  



Dundee City 
  

67 
  

2,130 
  



East Ayrshire 
  

37 
  

3,260 
  



East Dunbartonshire 
  

46 
  

2,408 
  



East Lothian 
  

37 
  

2,467 
  



East Renfrewshire 
  

40 
  

2,245 
  



Falkirk 
  

47 
  

3,071 
  



Fife 
  

131 
  

2,675 
  



Glasgow City 
  

275 
  

2,216 
  



Highland 
  

79 
  

2,641 
  



Inverclyde 
  

31 
  

2,729 
  



Midlothian 
  

21 
  

3,914 
  



Moray 
  

22 
  

3,861 
  



North Ayrshire 
  

45 
  

3,086 
  



North Lanarkshire 
  

112 
  

2,925 
  



Orkney Islands 
  

8 
  

2,435 
  



Perth & Kinross 
  

54 
  

2,474 
  



Renfrewshire 
  

82 
  

2,158 
  



Scottish BORDERs 
  

37 
  

2,889 
  



Shetland Islands 
  

8 
  

2,805 
  



South Ayrshire 
  

48 
  

2,373 
  



South Lanarkshire 
  

117 
  

2,627 
  



Stirling 
  

32 
  

2,663 
  



West Dunbartonshire 
  

36 
  

2,628 
  



West Lothian 
  

67 
  

2,339 
  



Scotland 
  

1,982 
  

2,581 
  



  Notes:

  1. General dental practitioners may work in more than one primary care trust (PCT)/health board. For the purpose of this analysis general dental practitioners who have a contract with more than one PCT/health board are shown in all relevant areas.

  2. Population figures at mid-year 2000.

  3. Excludes private dentistry.

Dentists

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many vacancies for general dental practitioners exist in each health board area, expressed both numerically and as a percentage of the total number of whole-time equivalent general dental practitioners in that area.

Susan Deacon: The information requested is not collected centrally. I refer the member to the answer given to question S1W-17949.

Dentists

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to recruit dentists from either outwith Scotland or outwith the rest of the UK or Ireland to fill vacant general dental practitioner posts.

Susan Deacon: We currently have no plans to recruit dentists from overseas. A sub-group of the Scottish advisory committee on the dental workforce (SACDW) has been established to look at recruitment and retention issues within dentistry in Scotland and will report its findings to the main committee shortly.

Dentists

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what percentage of the students accepted on to dental degree courses at Glasgow and Dundee universities in each of the last three years were residing in Scotland when accepted for the course.

Malcolm Chisholm: The information requested is shown in the following table, which should be read in conjunction with the notes below.

  Percentage of Scottish Domiciled Entrants to Pre-Clinical Dentistry Courses

  


 


1999-2000 
  

1998-99 
  

1997-98 
  



Dundee University 
  

53.33% 
  

68.00% 
  

83.02% 
  



Glasgow University 
  

63.89% 
  

63.77% 
  

67.14% 
  



  Notes:

  1. Source: Further and higher education statistics, ELLD.

  2. Percentages have been rounded to two decimal places and show Scotland-domiciled entrants as a percentage of the total number of entrants to the individual university.

Digital Television

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what its strategy and timetable is in relation to expanding digital television coverage.

Allan Wilson: There is a UK-wide strategy to extend digital television coverage. The switch-over from the analogue signal is planned to take place between 2006 and 2010; this requires that viewers who can receive analogue television now must be able to receive the main free-to-air channels digitally.

Education

Mr Brian Monteith (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it plans to review its target of providing an e-mail address for every school child by 2002 in light of the decision by the Cabinet of the National Assembly of Wales to review a similar pledge because of concerns over safety and security of pupils.

Mr Jack McConnell: We already have. On 21 March this year I announced that the Executive was setting up a working group to review existing advice to schools and education authorities on the safe use of the internet. At the same time, the Executive wrote to education authorities with guidance on implementing current targets for pupil e-mail addresses. The guidance suggested that for younger pupils in primary schools, schools might consider class e-mail addresses more appropriate than individual ones. It also underlined the need to have appropriate technical and human checks in place to protect pupils. The working group has been asked to consider issues relating to the safe use of e-mail, and I expect to receive its report in October.

Enterprise

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-1096 by Henry McLeish on 11 October 1999 and in the light of the recent announcement of redundancies at Viasystems’ Tyneside plants and reports that it intends to close its UK operations, whether it plans to discuss issues relating to the award of regional selective assistance (RSA) with the Department of Trade and Industry (DTI), in particular the award of RSA to Viasystems’ North Tyneside plant and any impact this had on Viasystems jobs in the Scottish BORDERs, and, if so, what concerns it will be conveying to the DTI.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The Scottish Executive maintains regular contact with the Department of Trade and Industry with regard to the administration of regional selective assistance and where necessary, discusses individual cases which may impact on employment in different regions of the UK.

Enterprise

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many Scottish BORDERs residents formerly employed at Viasystems’ Scottish BORDERs plants will be made redundant in the event of Viasystems’ North Tyneside plant closing.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The Scottish Executive does not have access to individual firms’ employee residence data. However, I understand that Scottish Enterprise BORDERs estimates that around 12 such individuals may be made redundant.

Enterprise

Alex Johnstone (North-East Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-17516 by Ms Wendy Alexander on 29 August 2001, what its response was to the Arbroath aid package proposals and whether it intends to give any further response.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The letters of 11 May and 13 June to which I referred in my earlier answer of 29 August provided detailed comments on the proposals contained in the Arbroath aid package and suggestions as to how these proposals could be taken forward by Angus Council and Scottish Enterprise Tayside. Since this exchange of correspondence took place, the First Minister met with the Member for Angus on 23 August to discuss measures to promote economic development in Angus, and Scottish Executive officials met with representatives of Angus Council and Scottish Enterprise Tayside on 3 September to discuss progress in implementing the Arbroath aid package proposals.

Environment

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is aware of any use of additional pollution abatement equipment at the Blue Circle cement factory near Dunbar, given that the factory combusts waste known as "recycled liquid fuel".

Rhona Brankin: This is a matter for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency. The information requested is not held centrally.

Environment

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether cement kilns when combusting waste known as "recycled liquid fuel" emit up to ten times more dioxins than purpose-built incinerators.

Rhona Brankin: There is no evidence to indicate that higher levels of dioxins are emitted when recycled liquid fuel is used to provide energy in cement kilns compared with emissions from purpose-built incinerators. The use of this type of fuel in cement kilns is treated by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA) as a process of co-incineration falling within the scope of the EC hazardous waste incineration directive. That directive requires a dioxin limit of 0.1 nanogrammes per cubic metre for hazardous waste incinerators. This is the same limit that SEPA applies to purpose-built incinerators.

  The recycling of waste products into fuels that are useable in processes such as cement production reduces the demand for raw materials and helps to conserve fossil fuel resources.

Environment

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, following the spillage of 6,000 litres of hazardous liquid fuel at the Blue Circle factory near Dunbar last month, it is satisfied with production procedures at the factory.

Rhona Brankin: The Executive is satisfied with the environmental and health and safety legislation which regulate the cement manufacturing process. Assessment of the effectiveness of pollution controls and health and safety procedures at particular sites is a matter for the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and the Health and Safety Executive.

Environment

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, following the report in the Sunday Herald on 19 August 2001 regarding toxin emissions in cement production at the Blue Circle factory near Dunbar, it will commission a study into the incidence of cancer or foetal abnormalities in or around the area.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Executive is satisfied with the monitoring procedures in place for measuring emissions from the Blue Circle factory at Dunbar and has no plans to commission such a study.

Environment

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied that the cement production methods at the Blue Circle factory near Dunbar give no cause for concern either to the health of those living in the vicinity or to those who occupy buildings built with cement from there.

Malcolm Chisholm: The Executive is satisfied with the monitoring procedures in place for measuring emissions from the Blue Circle factory at Dunbar and with the environmental and health and safety legislation which regulates the cement manufacturing process.

Environment

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in light of the report in the Sunday Herald on 19 August 2001 regarding toxin emissions in cement production at the Blue Circle factory near Dunbar, it will commission an independent analysis of the production processes there and what the reasons are for its position on this matter.

Rhona Brankin: The Executive has no plans to commission an analysis of the production processes at the Dunbar plant. The toxicity of substances used in building materials is controlled through environmental and health and safety legislation. Responsibility for assessing the effectiveness of monitoring procedures for emissions at particular sites lies with the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and for occupational health matters with the Health and Safety Executive.

Environment

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether, in light of the report in the Sunday Herald on 19 August 2001 regarding toxin emissions in cement production at the Blue Circle factory near Dunbar, it will commission a study into any impact on cows’ milk, farm crops and other food, whether for human or animal consumption, produced in and around the area.

Malcolm Chisholm: This area of work is now the responsibility of the Food Standards Agency (FSA) which informs me that it currently has no plans to commission a study of food and feedstuffs produced in the vicinity of the Blue Circle cement factory.

  However, I am advised that the FSA, in its role as a statutory consultee of the regulator SEPA (the Scottish Environment Protection Agency), will shortly be reviewing the operations carried out by Blue Circle at Dunbar in the context of the company’s application for a permit under the terms of the Pollution Prevention and Control (Scotland) Regulations 2000.

  If the agency has concerns about the impact of emissions on the food chain, it will advise SEPA accordingly and will, if necessary, recommend that additional safeguards be instituted.

Environment

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the Scottish Environment Protection Agency’s recommended level is of authorised emissions of dioxins to air from cement factories burning waste known as "recycled liquid fuel" and what levels are recommended by the World Health Organisation and EU respectively.

Rhona Brankin: The use of substitute liquid fuel in a cement kiln is treated by the Scottish Environment Protection Agency as a process of co-incineration falling within the scope of the EC hazardous waste incineration directive. That directive requires a dioxin limit of 0.1 nanogrammes per cubic metre for hazardous waste incinerators.

  The World Health Organisation (WHO) does not set standards for emissions from processes. WHO standards for dioxins are in terms of tolerable daily intakes or TDIs. The main source of these intakes is our food. The WHO currently recommends a TDI of between 1 and 4 picogrammes of dioxins per kilogramme of body weight. The European Union’s Scientific Committee on Food defines its recommended limits on intake in terms of a tolerable weekly intake which is currently set at 14 picogrammes of dioxins per kilogramme of body weight. For the UK, limits on intake are currently subject to consideration by the Food Standards Agency’s committee on toxicity of chemicals in food, consumer products and the environment.

Fisheries

Tavish Scott (Shetland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-15536 by Rhona Brankin on 16 May 2001, whether it will list the fishing gear research projects commissioned, under way or completed, in each case detailing the cost, outline aims of the project and the name of the organisation carrying out the research.

Rhona Brankin: In my answer to question S1W-15536, I referred to an additional £1 million for collaborative research which would benefit those fishermen whose vessels were used for trials as well as benefiting fishermen in the longer term.

  A partnership board has been set up between scientists and leaders of the fishing industry which has identified and agreed upon suitable trials for the additional research money. The trials include both gear research projects and biological or stock research projects.

  The table sets out the details of the research projects agreed to date, organised by all three research organisations (Fisheries Research Services (FRS), North Atlantic Fisheries College (NAFC) and Sea Fish Industry Authority (SFIA)).

  It is important to note that some of the figures are estimates and are subject to a degree of variability. Until all the projects have been completed, the costs cannot be defined precisely. The Executive expects that the full amount will be spent in due course.

  


Month/year 
  

Estimated cost
(£000) 
  

Outline aim 
  

Organisation 
  



05/01 
  

42 
  

To assess the distribution, age structure and maturity 
  of haddock around Rockall 
  

FRS 
  



05/01 
  

70 
  

Measure effect on catch of lifting bag, panel position 
  and extension length in pair seines 
  

FRS 
  



06/01 
  

14 
  

Assess the selectivity of 110 and 120mm codends on a smaller 
  trawler 
  

FRS 
  



07/01 
  

45.4 
  

Observe effect of square mesh panel colour on fish behaviour 
  and measure effect on selectivity 
  

FRS 
  



12/01 
  

40.5 
  

Measure effect of extension length on trawl selectivity 
  

FRS 
  



08/01 
  

27 
  

Compare selectivities of 70 and 80mm codends of 4mm single 
  and a 100mm codend of 5mm double twine (in Minches) 
  

FRS 
  



09/01 
  

23.5 
  

Measure selectivity of 110 and 120mm codends on smaller 
  trawler 
  

FRS 
  



12/01 
  

38 
  

Assess effect of grids and square mesh panels on cod haddock 
  and saithe in Norwegian sector 
  

FRS 
  



10/01 
  

38 
  

Investigate abundance and distribution of monkfish around 
  Rockall 
  

FRS 
  



10/01 
  

45.2 
  

As above around western continental shelf 
  

FRS 
  



10/01 
  

18.5 
  

Investigate abundance, distribution and proportion of young 
  fish around Shetland 
  

FRS 
  



10/01 
  

18.5 
  

As above around Cape Wrath 
  

FRS 
  



10/01 
  

18.5 
  

As above around Mull 
  

FRS 
  



10/01 
  

18.5 
  

As above around in the Clyde 
  

FRS 
  



11/01 
  

9 
  

Gadoid surveys to study characteristics and behaviour of 
  various stocks over time and especially to study the 1999 
  haddock year class. Surveys on east and west coasts: November 
  survey 
  

FRS 
  



01/02 
  

9 
  

As above: January survey 
  

FRS 
  



03/02 
  

9 
  

As above: March survey 
  

FRS 
  



11/01 
  

22 
  

Estimate of by-catch in Norway pout fishery 
  

FRS 
  



01/02 
  

36 
  

To see whether there is now a potential for a sprat fishery 
  in the Moray Firth without a high by-catch of juvenile herring 
  

FRS 
  



05/01 
  

43 
  

Catch comparison between 100, 110 and 120mm codends on 
  medium sized trawler 
  

NAFC 
  



08/01 
  

39 
  

Catch comparison between 100, 110 and 120mm codends on 
  small seiner 
  

NAFC 
  



09/01 
  

35.5 
  

Catch comparison between 100, 110 and 120mm codends on 
  small trawler 
  

NAFC 
  



11/01 
  

69 
  

Exploratory survey for deepwater shrimp on the continental 
  shelf around Shetland 
  

NAFC 
  



08/01 
  

18 
  

Catch comparison with modified prawn trawls to reduce whitefish 
  by-catch 
  

SFIA 
  



12/01 
  

59 
  

Catch comparison of single and double length square mesh 
  panels in pair trawls 
  

SFIA 
  



12/01 
  

18 
  

Assess effect of a low headline trawl in reducing whitefish 
  by-catch: SE Scotland 
  

SFIA 
  



12/01 
  

18 
  

As above: Clyde/Irish Sea 
  

SFIA 
  



12/01 
  

28 
  

Investigate effect on selectivity of knotted and knotless 
  square mesh panels 
  
 



-------- 
  

870 
  

Estimated Total Allocated 
  

-----------

Foot-and-Mouth Disease

Colin Campbell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the railway sleepers used for the cremation of animals slaughtered in the course of the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak came from existing stocks held in Scotland prior to the outbreak of the disease and, if they did not, from where they were sourced, when they were ordered, and when they arrived in the UK.

Ross Finnie: Information from the contractor engaged to construct pyres in Scotland during the foot-and-mouth disease outbreak indicates that around 70,000 new softwood sleepers were used, 5,000 of which were imported from Austria and Belgium. This accounted for the wood used at just under 40 per cent of the pyres, the remainder being supplied with forestry timbers sourced in Britain. It is not possible to identify what proportion of either of these materials was sourced from stock held in Scotland.

Freight

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-16390 by Sarah Boyack on 2 July 2001, who submitted each of the Freight Facilities Grant applications currently being considered and what amount of funding is being sought in each application.

Sarah Boyack: Companies provide the information included in freight facilities grant (FFG) applications on a commercial in confidence basis. I am therefore unable to provide this information. However, the details of any FFG awards made, including the level of funding, are published by the Scottish Executive.

Freight

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much, and for which projects, BP plc has received in freight facilities grant to date.

Sarah Boyack: BP were awarded a freight facilities grant of £10.044 million in December 2000. This was for one project, which will allow BP to transfer fuel oils by rail from Grangemouth to various depots including Dumfries, Fort William, Lairg, Dyce and Kilmarnock.

Hepatitis

Tricia Marwick (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to review the screening process for hepatitis B for NHS staff.

Malcolm Chisholm: The advisory group on hepatitis, which provides the UK Health Department with expert advice on the prevention and control of viral hepatitis, is to review the recent incident in Fife, and current guidelines. The Executive will take any appropriate action in the light of the group’s advice.

Hospitals

Mary Scanlon (Highlands and Islands) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-17473 by Susan Deacon on 29 August 2001, how the clinical standards boards for Scotland will check compliance with standards for infection control in NHS hospitals and when this new system will start.

Susan Deacon: The draft standards for infection control have been circulated widely for consultation and open meetings held in Perth and Glasgow. Pilot review visits are taking place later this month. The standards will then be revised in the light of feedback, and issued for NHS hospitals to undertake self-assessment prior to external review visits, by health care professionals and members of the public, taking place in the first quarter of 2002.

Inter-Governmental Conference

Colin Campbell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1O-3658 by Mr Jack McConnell on 28 June 2001, after how many years information regarding talks between Her Majesty’s Government and it in 2000 prior to the inter-governmental conference in Nice will cease to be confidential and what the reasons are for the position on this matter.

Mr Jack McConnell: No set deadline can be given for the release of any information arising from confidential discussions. The Scottish Executive’s Code of Practice on Access to Scottish Executive Information recognises that the sensitivity of information will, generally, reduce over time. However, it is noted that consideration must be given to the harm arising from disclosure at the time the request is made, rather than by reference to when the relevant decision was taken.

Land

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will provide details regarding the proposed operation of the Scottish land fund including its remit, functions, membership, responsibilities and jurisdiction.

Ms Wendy Alexander: The operation of the New Opportunities Fund’s Scottish land fund is a reserved matter for the Department of Culture Media and Sport. Can I invite the member to write to Stephen Dunmore, chief executive of the new opportunities fund.

Land

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many applications for assistance under the Scottish land fund have been received to date, broken down by (a) parliamentary region and (b) local authority area; how many have been successful; whether it will detail any successful applications, and what the total value is of successful bids so far.

Ms Wendy Alexander: Details of applications to, and awards made, under the new opportunities fund’s Scottish land fund are a reserved matter for the Department of Culture Media and Sport. Can I invite the member to write to Stephen Dunmore, chief executive of the new opportunities fund.

Land Reform (Scotland) Bill

Lord James Douglas-Hamilton (Lothians) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive what budgetary estimate it has made in respect of possible costs, including compensation to be paid, arising from implementation of the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill.

Mr Jim Wallace: In developing the Land Reform (Scotland) Bill for introduction to Parliament, the Executive will continue to consider all likely costs relating to access, the community right to buy and the crofting community right to buy.

  The Executive is required to publish a financial memorandum to accompany each Bill on its introduction to Parliament, which provides details of budgetary estimates following implementation. Estimated costs relating to the Land Reform Bill will be provided at that time for, inter alia, the set-up and maintenance of core path networks, and the costs of the community and crofting community rights to buy, including compensation. In relation to both rights to buy, costs will largely be dependent on the level of uptake.

Life Expectancy

Pauline McNeill (Glasgow Kelvin) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what new measures it is taking to narrow the gap in life expectancy between Glasgow and elsewhere in the UK shown by Office for National Statistics figures.

Susan Deacon: The inequalities most recently highlighted in this report are well-known, long-standing and unacceptable. The Executive is committed to tackling the legacy of health inequalities, and has put this and social justice at the heart of its agenda and its spending priorities. We are determined to tackle the root causes of ill health - poverty, poor housing, low self-esteem, and lack of educational and economic opportunity.

  The details of our approach are set out in Our National Health: A plan for action, a plan for change, Social Justice: a Scotland where everyone matters and related publications available in the Parliament’s Reference Centre.

Ministerial Correspondence

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Minister for Environment and Rural Development will respond to my letter of 11 May 2001 regarding Mr Halliday of Caplefoot, Tundergarth.

Ross Finnie: I am sorry that I have not been able to reply to your letter of 11 May, but will do so as soon as the results of inquiries which are under way are known.

Ministerial Correspondence

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Minister for Environment and Rural Development will respond to my letter of 23 May 2001 regarding Mr Sloan of Woodend Farm, Johnstonebridge.

Ross Finnie: I am sorry that I have not yet been able to reply to your letter of 23 May before now. I hope to be in a position to write to you soon.

Ministerial Correspondence

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Minister for Environment and Rural Development will respond to my letter of 31 May 2001 regarding Mr Rennie of Stockholm Farm, Beattock.

Ross Finnie: I am sorry about the delay in replying to your letter, the subject matter of which is being investigated at present.

  I will write to you as soon as I can.

Ministerial Correspondence

David Mundell (South of Scotland) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Minister for Environment and Rural Development will respond to my letter of 15 June 2001 regarding Mr and Mrs Hutchison of Moffat.

Ross Finnie: I replied to the member on 25 August and am sorry I was unable to do so sooner.

Ministerial Correspondence

Bruce Crawford (Mid Scotland and Fife) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Deputy Minister for Environment and Rural Development will reply to my letter of 30 July 2001 regarding carbon emissions in Scotland.

Rhona Brankin: I replied to the member’s letter of 30 July on 26 August.

Non-Domestic Rates

Bill Aitken (Glasgow) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive how much revenue was obtained from non-domestic rates in Scotland in each of the last two years and what the total amount of non-domestic rates paid by businesses registered in Glasgow was in each of these years.

Angus MacKay: The latest information available indicates that councils have contributed £1,496,647,482 to the Scottish non-domestic rates pool in 1999-2000 and have estimated contributions of £1,540,563,079 for 2000-01. Glasgow City Council’s contribution was £239,192,865 in 1999-2000 and is estimated at £235,542,544 for 2000-01.

Pensions

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what representations it has received from (a) trade unions and (b) others concerning the operation of (i) the NHS pension scheme and (ii) other devolved public service pension schemes.

Angus MacKay: The Scottish Executive regularly receives representations from trade unions and other interested parties on a wide range of issues relating to the public service pension schemes, including the NHS scheme, for which the Scottish ministers are responsible.

Pensions

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive how many widows have lost their entitlement to a devolved public service pension through remarriage or cohabitation in each of the last three years.

Angus MacKay: For the Scottish teachers’ superannuation scheme the figures are as follows.

  1997 – 27

  1998 – 18

  1999 – 20

  These represent an average of around 0.05 per cent of the total number of pension recipients.

  Equivalent figures for the NHS superannuation scheme (Scotland) can only be obtained at disproportionate cost and information relating to other devolved public service pension schemes is not held centrally.

Pensions

Donald Gorrie (Central Scotland) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what assessment it has made of the cost to devolved public service pension schemes of a change in family benefits to allow a widow to continue to receive payments after remarriage.

Angus MacKay: The assessed cost in respect of each year of future service is 0.3 per cent of the public service pay bill. If the change was also to apply in respect of all past service of current members, the further cost is assessed as 3 per cent of the pay bill.

People with Disabilities

Mrs Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what training is available to staff in further education colleges to enable them to address the needs of students with disabilities.

Ms Wendy Alexander: A wide range of training opportunities is already available to staff in further education colleges which addresses the teaching of students with disabilities and supporting their special educational needs.

  In response to a recommendation of the Beattie committee, which examined the needs of young people who require additional support to make the transition to post-school education and training or employment, the Scottish Executive is making funds available to establish and operate a national co-ordinating centre. The purpose of the centre is to improve, by the provision of advice, training and staff development, the expertise of staff in further education colleges in identifying, assessing and meeting the needs of students with disabilities and special educational needs.

Prison Service

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive when the Prison estates review will be published.

Mr Jim Wallace: I propose to consult on the published review later this year.

Prison Service

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many acts of self-harm were logged at each Scottish Prison Service prison in (a) 1999-2000, (b) 2000-01 and (c) 2001 to date.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, chief executive of the Scottish Prison Service, to respond. His response is as follows:

  


 


Self-Harm 1999-2000 
  

Self-Harm 2000-01 
  

Self-Harm
01.04.01-31.08.01 
  



Aberdeen 
  

0 
  

18 
  

3 
  



Barlinnie 
  

31 
  

26 
  

4 
  



Castle Huntly 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  



Cornton Vale 
  

81 
  

23 
  

21 
  



Dumfries 
  

9 
  

5 
  

4 
  



Edinburgh 
  

26 
  

11 
  

1 
  



Glenochil 
  

13 
  

20 
  

3 
  



Greenock 
  

27 
  

8 
  

2 
  



Inverness 
  

18 
  

12 
  

6 
  



Low Moss 
  

4 
  

1 
  

0 
  



Noranside 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  



Perth 
  

16 
  

3 
  

0 
  



Peterhead 
  

14 
  

4 
  

1 
  



Polmont 
  

30 
  

29 
  

11 
  



Shotts 
  

27 
  

6 
  

4 
  



Zeist 
  

0 
  

0 
  

0 
  



Total 
  

296 
  

166 
  

60

Prison Service

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether the Scottish Prison Service is or has been locating possible sites for building private prisons and, if so, where these sites are.

Mr Jim Wallace: I have asked Tony Cameron, chief executive of the Scottish Prison Service to respond. His response is as follows:

  Work is under way to identify possible sites for new prisons in the central belt.

Public/Private Partnership

Mr Kenneth Macintosh (Eastwood) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will make available to local authorities additional financial support for further school public/private partnership projects.

Mr Jack McConnell: Public/private partnerships have a significant role to play in our strategy for improving the school stock and the learning and teaching environment for our pupils and teachers.

  Ten education authorities in Scotland are already guaranteed financial support for school PPP projects under an arrangement which was agreed in 1998. Many pupils and teachers are already enjoying new or refurbished school accommodation as a result of that support and further projects which attracted that support are either under way or due to start soon.

  It is important to maintain the momentum and I shall, therefore, be providing more revenue support to local authorities in Scotland so that further school PPP contracts may be taken forward. As was the case in 1998, authorities who have proposals for school PPP projects will be invited to submit bids for the support which will be available. I envisage a date of 14 December 2001 for submission of the first round of bids, which should be in the form of outline business cases for the projects concerned. I would expect to respond to each bid and have made appropriate decisions before the end of April 2002.

  I shall reach a final decision on the level of financial support for this new round of PPP projects following the discussion I shall be having with council leaders on 31 October about the overall strategy for the improvement of school buildings. It is, however, likely to be similar to that which was made available for school PPP projects in 1998 and which is helping to fund building work on schools with a capital value of around £500 million.

  Full details of the new arrangements will be issued to local authorities in the form of full bidding guidance by the end of this month. Further advice on the level of support will be issued immediately following my meeting with council leaders on 31 October.

Rail Network

Andrew Wilson (Central Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how much funding it will allocate to the planned Larkhall to Milngavie rail link; to which organisation that funding will be paid, and what rights of ownership and management direction it will have in relation to the link as a result of this funding.

Ms Sandra White (Glasgow) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive who will own the proposed rail line from Larkhall to Milngavie.

Sarah Boyack: The Executive is taking forward the Larkhall to Milngavie rail route project in partnership with Strathclyde Passenger Transport and will allocate £16 million to Strathclyde Passenger Transport Authority as part of a joint £23 million package. All enhancements to the UK railway network are added to Railtrack’s regulated asset base for maintenance and renewal.

Road Accidents

Kay Ullrich (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many accidents on the A78 trunk road have been reported over the last five years and how this compares with the number in the previous five-year period; what the locations were of these accidents, and what the costs were of these accidents in terms of attendance by emergency vehicles and damage caused to street furniture and adjacent properties by vehicle impact.

Sarah Boyack: The Scottish Executive’s accident database records data on personal injury accidents only. The number of personal injury accidents on the A78 trunk road over the last five years (1996-2000) is 496. This is lower than for the previous five-year period (1991-95) when a total of 524 personal injury accidents occurred.

  Information on the location and cost of each accident is not available. However, "Road Accidents in Scotland 1999", the Scottish Executive’s National Statistics publication, gives the average total cost for an injury accident on a trunk road as £92,989.

Road Accidents

Mr Keith Harding (Mid Scotland and Fife) (Con): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answers to questions S1W-17365 and S1W-17678 by Sarah Boyack on 21 and 28 August 2001, what it is doing to reduce the number of personal injury accidents on the Tayport to Glenrothes part of the A92.

Sarah Boyack: Actions to improve road safety on the Glenrothes to Tayport section of the A92 will include alterations to the Balfarg Junction and the construction of a roundabout at the A92/Markinch road junction. These two schemes are programmed to commence in October 2001 and in spring/early summer 2002 respectively.

Road Accidents

Richard Lochhead (North-East Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive how many deaths of persons travelling on powered two-wheelers have occurred in each police force area in each of the last three years and to date in 2001.

Sarah Boyack: Data about injury road accidents are collected by the police and reported to the Scottish Executive using the STATS 19 statistical report form. The following table gives the numbers of users of motorcycles (including motor scooters and motor cycle combinations) and mopeds who were reported by police forces as being fatally injured in accidents which occurred in each year. It is not possible to provide meaningful figures for 2001 to date, because the returns which the Executive has received so far relate to different numbers of months for different police forces.

  


Riders and passengers of motorcycles and mopeds who were 
  fatally injured in road accidents 
  



Police force 
  

1998 
  

1999 
  

2000 
  



Northern 
  

2 
  

2 
  

11 
  



Grampian 
  

7 
  

6 
  

6 
  



Tayside 
  

4 
  

2 
  

2 
  



Fife 
  

1 
  

1 
  

3 
  



Lothian & BORDERs 
  

5 
  

4 
  

6 
  



Central 
  

5 
  

2 
  

2 
  



Strathclyde 
  

6 
  

12 
  

10 
  



Dumfries & Galloway 
  

3 
  

1 
  

0 
  



Scotland 
  

33 
  

30 
  

40

Road Signs

Kay Ullrich (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether signage erected on the A78 trunk road on the boundary of West Kilbride at the commencement of the area known as Seamill should identify the area as West Kilbride or Seamill.

Sarah Boyack: It is for the local authority to determine which name appears on local boundary signing. The Scottish Executive’s role is to ensure that all signs erected within the trunk road boundary comply with current regulations and guidelines and have no adverse effect on road safety.

Roads

Kay Ullrich (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether there is a minimum requirement in relation to the width of footpaths, where one exists, along the route of trunk roads in areas where a 30mph speed limit applies.

Sarah Boyack: There is no minimum requirement in relation to the width of footpaths along trunk roads.

Scottish Executive Buildings

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is considering outsourcing any further services concerned with the management of its estate and buildings.

Angus MacKay: The Scottish Executive commissioned a consultancy study in March this year to review the provision of facilities management services. The consultants were asked to advise on a range of potential options including the evaluation of different mixes of in-house and outsourced provision of these services. The Executive will consider these issues in detail in the light of the consultants’ final report.

Scottish Executive Buildings

Fiona Hyslop (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is considering any transfer of its assets at Victoria Quay.

Angus MacKay: The Scottish Executive commissioned a consultancy study in March this year to review the provision of facilities management services including those services currently provided in Victoria Quay. The consultants were asked to advise on a range of potential options including the evaluation of different mixes of in-house and outsourced provision of these services. One option involves a potential transfer of assets. The Executive will consider these issues in detail in the light of the consultants’ final report.

Special Educational Needs

Mrs Mary Mulligan (Linlithgow) (Lab): To ask the Scottish Executive what funding was made available to each further education college to assist students with severe disabilities to pursue their studies in academic session 2000-01 and what funding is available to each college for 2001-02.

Ms Wendy Alexander: This information is not held centrally. Colleges may claim additional funding from the Scottish Further Education Funding Council for running courses for, or enrolling students with, a range of learning or other disabilities.

  Colleges may also use bursary funding to help support the additional travel and study costs faced by students with disabilities and special educational needs.

Telecommunications

Colin Campbell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what negotiations it has had with the National Radiological Protection Board concerning the hazardous effects of mobile telephone masts grouped in close proximity to one another and what conclusions have emerged from these negotiations.

Malcolm Chisholm: The independent expert group on mobile phones, which was set up by the National Radiological Protection Board, has stated that "the balance of evidence indicates that there is no general risk to the health of people living near to base stations on the basis that exposures are expected to be a small fraction of guidelines".

  Because radiowaves spread out rapidly with distance from individual masts, the cumulative effect of a number of local masts will also add up to a small fraction of the relevant guidelines.

Telecommunications

Colin Campbell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what negotiations it has had with the National Radiological Protection Board concerning reduction of any hazardous effects of mobile telephone masts by means of re-siting, establishing no entry safe zones and diminishing high frequency output.

Malcolm Chisholm: Information and general advice from the National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) was taken into account during the preparation of National Planning Policy Guideline (NPPG) 19: Radio Telecommunications . In addition, the NRPB were specifically consulted on a draft of the NPPG.

  On siting and design, NPPG 19 requires "operators to provide with their applications evidence that consideration has been given to siting and design options". The NPPG also requires that the installation and operation shall meet ICNIRP guidelines on exposure to radiowaves for any area where the public might reasonably gain access. Reasonable steps must be taken to exclude the public from any areas where ICNIRP guidelines might be exceeded.

  Operational requirements, particularly the need to limit the spread of radiowaves between the "cells" covered by different masts mean that operators are required to restrict these emissions to the lowest levels commensurate with effective operation of the mast. This requirement is also referred to in the NPPG.

Telecommunications

Colin Campbell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it will list the sites of groups of more than two mobile telephone masts (a) within 500 metres of each other and (b) within 1,000 metres of each other.

Lewis Macdonald: The Scottish Executive does not hold this information. However the Radiocommunications Agency (an Executive Agency of the DTI) is currently finalising its plans for launching a UK-wide map-based facility called "sitefinder" which will provide details about all mobile telephone transmitters, including their location. This facility will be available to the public through the agency’s website.

  The commitment to provide this facility was part of the Government’s response to the recommendations of the independent expert group on mobile phones chaired by Sir William Stewart.

Telecommunications

Colin Campbell (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether statistics exist on clusters of any illnesses that could be attributable to the siting of mobile telephone masts, either singly or in groups, and, if so, whether it will list the locations of such clusters.

Malcolm Chisholm: In compiling their report, the independent expert group on mobile phones (IEGMP) considered existing scientific evidence on the relationship between mobile phone technologies and a number of diseases and behavioural effects. The diseases that have received most scientific attention in this area are cancers.

  The Executive is not aware of the existence of any clusters of cancers or any other disease that could reasonably be attributed to the distribution of mobile phone masts in Scotland.

Tourism

Mr Kenny MacAskill (Lothians) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what the cost was of changing the name of visitscotland to VisitScotland and from which expenditure head the costs were met.

Mr Alasdair Morrison: This is an operational matter for VisitScotland. However, I understand that no cost was incurred.

Traffic

Kay Ullrich (West of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive by how much the volume of traffic on the A78 trunk road has increased over the last 20 years, broken down into five-year periods, on the stretch of road between Stevenston in the south and Skelmorlie in the north.

Sarah Boyack: Traffic volume data for the last 20 years, broken down into five-year periods, for the A78 between Stevenson and Skelmorlie is not available. However, the following is a comparison of data collected in August 1986 with data collected in August 2000:

  


August 1986
(Daily Average) 
  

August 2000
(Daily Average) 
  

Growth 1986-2000
(%) 
  



8,380 
  

8,742 
  

4.32

Transport

Mr Adam Ingram (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive, further to the answer to question S1W-15739 by Sarah Boyack on 24 May 2001, what the remit and membership is of each of the groups originally established as sub-groups of the National Transport Forum and of each of the new bodies involved in developing and delivering integrated transport policies; how many times each of these groups and bodies have met, and whether it will place copies of the agendas of forthcoming meetings and the minutes of meetings of these groups and bodies in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre.

Lewis Macdonald: A document, National Transport Forum for Scotland Sub-Groups: Remit, Membership, Number of Meetings , has been placed in the Scottish Parliament information centre (Bib. no. 15585).

  The minutes of the meetings of the groups are matters covered by Part II of the Code of Practice on Access to Scottish Executive Information.

Waste Management

Christine Grahame (South of Scotland) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive whether it supports a policy of decreasing the level of waste disposal by incineration in line with some other EU countries.

Rhona Brankin: The current level of municipal waste incinerated in Scotland is around 2 per cent. The National Waste Strategy provides the framework for waste management policy in Scotland and, through the development of 11 area waste plans, will determine the best practicable environmental options for future waste management. A major objective of the strategy is to reduce the reliance on landfill, moving instead to options higher up the waste hierarchy i.e. reduction, reuse, recycling, composting and energy recovery. It would therefore be inappropriate to implement a policy of decreasing the level of waste disposal by incineration.

  The renewables obligation (Scotland) consultation paper issued by the Executive on 3 August 2001 sets out the policy on energy-from-waste as a source of renewable energy. Following initial consultation the Executive proposes not to support the conventional incineration of municipal waste. New, cleaner thermal technologies such as gasification and pyrolysis will be supported where these fit in with an integrated waste management system. This would involve thermal treatment only of the residues left once separation, recycling and composting has been carried out first.

  Copies of the consultation paper are available in the Parliament’s reference centre (Bib. no. 15597).

Waste Management

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what action it plans to take following the report of its central research unit, Determination of the Source, Nature, Amount and Disposal Routes of Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Arising in Scotland .

Rhona Brankin: The Executive commissioned this research to inform its consideration of the proposed European community directive on waste electrical and electronic equipment. When the terms of the directive have been finalised and a potentially suitable means of implementing it is determined the Executive will carry out a more intensive study in the form of a regulatory impact assessment.

Waste Management

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to introduce a producer responsibility for electrical and electronic products whereby producers bear the responsibility for the collection of end-of-life products and ensure that any waste is disposed of in an environmentally acceptable way.

Rhona Brankin: The Executive intends to introduce a system of producer responsibility when the terms of the proposed European community directive on waste electrical and electronic equipment have been finalised. It is too early to say what the nature of this collection and treatment scheme will be, but industry and other interests will be fully consulted before the new measures are introduced.

Waste Management

Mr Andrew Welsh (Angus) (SNP): To ask the Scottish Executive what current and future targets have been set for recycling waste electrical and electronic equipment.

Rhona Brankin: There are no such targets. However, the proposed EC directive currently under discussion on waste electrical and electronic equipment contains recycling targets of 50 per cent-80 per cent within overall recovery targets of 70 per cent-80 per cent, depending on the nature of the waste product to be achieved within 46 months of the directive coming into force.